Annual 'No Pants Subway' Takes Place In New York Despite Freezing Temperatures

The “No Pants Subway Ride” event took place Sunday in New York City (NYC), with participants braving the cold to participate in all their "bottomless" glory.

According to a report by New York Post, the event commenced at 3 p.m. EST, with participants gathering at Union Station.

L.J. Geraghty, who has been making trips to NYC since the past 14 years for the event, said, “The turnout is definitely down this year.”

The 36-year-old resident of Boston was clothed in heavy layers of clothing in order to save herself from the cold weather, but her thighs were exposed. She stated, “I wore my knee-highs this year, usually I just wear high heels.”

Geraghty attended the event with her 16-year-old niece who also didn’t wear any pants and denied she was feeling cold.

Another participant, Deli Meehan, stated, “I don’t like pants anyway.”

“I’m wearing two pairs of socks, and two pairs of underwear,” added Meehan.

According to senior meteorologist Dave Dombeck, the temperatures in NYC stood at 17-degrees during mid-afternoon along with a 10 degree wind-chill.

With regards to the effects of cold temperatures on exposed skin, Dombeck said, “It’s always best to have at least more than one layer.”

“You really don’t want to be outside too long, I wouldn’t press it beyond 15 or 20 minutes,” Dombeck added.

However many of the participants were enjoying the cold breeze, the report stated. Karina Valesco, a participant who wore a blue underwear for the event, said, “My legs are a little numb right now but I’m pushing through. Can’t let a little cold weather stop us.”

“I’m proud to be out here today, freezing my tail off with all these awesome people. We’re fearless!” she added.

However, NYC was not the only place in the U.S. which celebrated this event. According to a report by San Francisco Chronicle, as a part of the yearly “No Pants BART Ride,” approximately 45 people took the public Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train without wearing any pants.

According to the report, the participants were told to act normal and not answer any questions by anyone regarding the event.

Hence one of the participants answered, “I forgot to wear my pants.”

However, another participant did explain about the event, the report stated.

According to a San Francisco Chronicle report in January 2017, co-organizer of the event, Jay Zalowitz said, “This is not an exhibitionist thing, to be very clear.”

"This is a spontaneous delight and meant to bring enjoyment out of people's day,” Zalowitz added.

The group at the 2018 event, got off at the Balboa Park Station and took a gropup picture after which they returned to Civic Center which was the boarding point. From there they went to an after-party which was also celebrated in the same fashion, the report stated.

The “No Pants Subway Ride” was first started in NYC as a prank done by a group called Improv Everywhere. Since then, the event spread across to other parts of the U.S. and also to European cities like Berlin in Germany and Prague in Czech Republic.

Pictures of the celebrations from all over the world were shared on social media. Here are some of them.